Once Upon a Broken Heart, #2
The Ballad of Never After
by Stephanie Garber
Contents
Chapter 20
Overview
Evangeline finds Jacks back at Chaos’s castle and confronts him after he dismisses a girl he’s gaming with. Jacks discovers Apollo’s threatening carving on her arm, prompting a tense exchange. Evangeline reveals LaLa’s House Slaughterwood gala and her theory that the stones will be there. Jacks agrees to go but insists they keep it from Chaos, warning House Slaughterwood began the current catastrophe.
Summary
Evangeline returns to Chaos’s underground castle to find him absent and senses someone briefly entering her suite overnight. At dusk she heads to ask Chaos for transport to LaLa’s party but instead discovers Jacks in the gaming court, idly playing checkers with a pretty girl and acting indifferent to Evangeline’s presence.
Annoyed by his casual control over the girl, Evangeline challenges Jacks. He dismisses the girl and taunts Evangeline until he notices Apollo’s carved message on her arm. Disturbed by the words, Jacks presses for when it happened, while Evangeline deflects and tries to change the subject.
Evangeline presents a scandal sheet announcing LaLa’s engagement celebration at House Slaughterwood, arguing the “mirth” mention signals the mirth stone and that Great House attendees will carry stones because the stones call to one another. She explains how the luck stone’s pull made its keeper unwilling to part with it.
Jacks resists but wavers as her reasoning lands. He insists, however, that Chaos must not learn they’re going; if he does, he’ll stop them. As Jacks’s composure slips, he reveals a deeper fear and declares that House Slaughterwood is the reason for their entire predicament.
Who Appears
- Evangeline FoxProtagonist; seeks transport to LaLa’s gala, reveals plan that Great Houses will bring the stones, shows Apollo’s carving to Jacks.
- JacksReturns unexpectedly; dismisses a girl, reacts to Apollo’s carving, reluctantly agrees to attend Slaughterwood in secret, warning it caused the mess.
- Unnamed girl at checkersCompanion playing checkers with Jacks; dismissed abruptly when Evangeline arrives.